Page 38Key Changing
If there is a change of key in a song you are trying to transcribe, simply locate the new key on the table and work
with the chords that belong to that new key. Now we're ready to look at how songwriters combine chords into songs.
The Two-Chord Song
There are one-chord songs, but they're pretty rare. 'Exodus' by Bob Marley stays on one chord much of the time, as
do 'Careful With That Axe, Eugene', 'Within You Without You', 'Tomorrow Never Knows' and Roy Harper's 'Frozen
Moment'. There is a tradition in the blues of one-chord songs such as 'I'm A Man', 'Smokestack Lightning' and the
original 'Bring It On Home'. Sometimes a single chord will carry a verse, as with Morcheeba's 'Shoulder Holster', or
'The Ballad of John and Yoko' and 'It Takes Two', where IV and V come in with the hook.
The list of two-chord songs includes 'That's The Way (I Like It)' (Cm-Fm), 'Spice Up Your Life', 'Born Slippy',
'Born In The USA', 'Underworld', 'Step It Up', 'Sex Machine', 'Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud' and, if we
allow an instrumental, 'Albatross'. Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams' is virtually a two-chord song (a third appears briefly
under the guitar break).
The challenge of writing a two-chord song is to avoid monotony. Writing a truly arresting song with only two chords
is not easy, which is why most writers will include (at least) a third chord.
Two-Chord Changes
It is useful to explore basic changes, so that you get a feel for their varied qualities. To do this we will start from a C
major chord and look at all the possible changes. These could form a two-chord song, but the point here is simply to
sense the mood these changes evoke so you can incorporate them into songs with any number of chords.
I-II/ C-Dm: a short movement where all the notes change. This is popular in reggae. 'Wait In Vain' ch,
'Something In The Air' v, 'Don't Let Me Down' v and ch. Heard on coda of 'Samba Pa Ti', coda of 'The Carpet
Crawlers', 'Alright' (Supergrass) v, 'Like A Virgin' ch, 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' ch, 'ATB 9pm (Till I
Come)', and 'Over My Head' v. This is a signature change of Smokey Robinson, who used it in 'Ooh Baby Baby'
ch, 'If You Can Want', 'Baby, Baby Don't Cry', 'More Love'.
I-III/ C-Em: an expressive major-to-minor change with two notes in common (C E G, E G B). 'The Universal'
i/v, 'Party Girl' v. Its potential is brought out in the chorus of 'A Northern Lad'.
I-IV/ C-F: a lighter, more relaxed feel than I-V. 'My Girl' v, 'Stolen Car', 'Paperback Writer' (G-C), 'It's All Too
Much' (C-F), 'Electrolyte' v (G-C), 'Angel Of Harlem', 'All I Want Is You', 'Both Sides Now' v, 'Glad All Over',
'Walk On The Wild Side', 'Tonight's The Night' v, 'Baby I Need Your Loving' v, 'Ways To Be Wicked' v, 'How
Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You', 'Souvenir', 'Starless Summer Sky', 'Life Of Riley', 'Hope St.' v. Has dreamy
feel as Imaj7-IVmaj7. 'Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying' v, 'Respect'. I7-IV7 has a harder-edged feel.
I-V/ C-G: a strong sense of major tonality that holds the key firm. Excellent for writing light, novelty, comic or
children's songs or where the words and melody are paramount. 'Lily The Pink', 'Memphis Tennessee', 'Baby
Come